1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to techniques for operating an image forming apparatus by using a JAVA application.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, an image forming apparatus (to be referred to as a compound machine hereinafter) that includes functions of a printer, a copier, a facsimile, a scanner and the like in a cabinet is generally known. The compound machine includes a display part, a printing part and an image pickup part and the like in a cabinet. In the compound machine, pieces of software corresponding to the printer, copier and facsimile respectively are provided, so that the compound machine functions as the printer, the copier, the scanner and the facsimile respectively by switching the pieces of software.
Since the conventional compound machine is provided with respective pieces of application software for the printer, the copier, the scanner and the facsimile, much time is required for developing each application. To solve this problem, the applicant has developed a compound machine including hardware resources, a plurality of applications, and a platform including various control services provided between the applications and the hardware resources. The hardware resources are used for image forming processes for a display part, a printing part and an image pickup part. The applications perform processes intrinsic for user services of printer, copier and facsimile and the like. The platform includes various control services for performing management of hardware resources necessary for at least two applications commonly, and for performing execution control of the applications and image forming processes, when a user service is executed.
According to such a new compound machine, the applications and the control services are provided separately. Thus, after the compound machine is shipped, users or third party venders can develop new applications to install on the compound machine without changing the system side software.
Various applications are developed. For developing the applications, from a viewpoint of supporting various platforms and network communications, it is considered to use JAVA applications as applications for the compound machine. As a conventional technology relating to the JAVA application, a technology described in Japanese laid open patent application No. 2002-287990 is known, for example.
For executing the JAVA applications on the compound machine, a module is necessary for managing the JAVA applications. In addition, for developing the JAVA application for the compound machine, it is necessary to evaluate the developed application whether the application actually operates on the compound machine after the JAVA application is developed on a PC and the like. However, it is troublesome to install and execute the JAVA application on the compound machine every time when the evaluation is performed. Thus, an environment is required in which the developed application can be directly executed on the compound machine from the PC on which the application is developed. In addition, if remotely executed JAVA application can operate the compound machine, user convenience increases for using the JAVA application.